Literacy Volunteers (Registered charity, number 1167357) Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022
| Page | Contents |
|---|---|
| 2 - 7 | Trustees’ annual report |
| 8 | Independent examiner’s report |
| 9 | Receipts & payments account |
| 10 | Statement of assets & liabilities |
| 11 - 13 | Notes to the accounts |
Literacy Volunteers Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31 March 2022
Full name Literacy Volunteers
Organisation type Charitable incorporated organisation
Registered charity number 1167357
Principal address Woodthorpe Grange, Woodthorpe Drive, Nottingham, NG5 4HA
Trustees
Julia Gunn, Chair Angela Beere Christine Wroe, Vice Chair Jo Gordon, from 14/12/21 Alan Merrett, Treasurer Carol Wilby, from 14/12/21 Gaynor Preston Paul Hughes, from 14/12/21 Peter Furnell Marianne Sharlotte, until 26/01/22 Patricia Harman
Independent examiner
John O’Brien, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
Governance and management
The charity is operated under the rules of the CIO – Association constitution registered 25 May 2016.
New trustees are drawn from existing volunteers, member organisations and external candidates with an interest in the work and objectives of Literacy Volunteers. The Board of Trustees must have a minimum of five trustees and a maximum of twelve trustees at any one time.
Prospective trustees must preferably have a skill which will support the Charity. Once they have indicated their interest in the role of trustee a discussion is arranged with one of the team/trustees.
Following this discussion, they will be invited to attend a scheduled Board of Trustees meeting after which, if they are a suitable/eligible appointment they will be invited to join the Board but neither party is under any obligation at this stage. Induction and training for the role is provided. An enhanced DBS check is carried out and their eligibility is checked against Charity Commission guidance.
At the AGM one third of existing trustees must step down in rotation and the trustees who have been appointed for the longest period since their last appointment/reappointment must stand down. Following this the vacancies created on the Board of Trustees are then filled at the AGM. Trustees can stand for reelection and other members can be nominated and elected. We operate under the guidance of our constitution adopted on 25th May 2016 when we became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, and also in the spirit of our original constitution
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adopted in May 1996 when we came into existence as Literacy Volunteers in Nottinghamshire Schools.
During 2021/22 we have recruited four new Trustees who have experience and knowledge of fund raising (Carol Wilby), database management and information technology (Paul Hughes), teaching in primary schools (Marianne Sharlotte) and financial consulting/project management/recruitment (Jo Gordon). We have continued to identify and recruit Trustees with relevant experience in the schools and child development areas and undertaken succession planning discussions for the future.
Objectives and activities
To advance the education of children, adults and families by helping those experiencing difficulties in acquiring literacy, communication and social skills.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit
Literacy Volunteers aims to develop and promote speech, language, communication, confidence, self-esteem, literacy, strategies for learning in the home and a genuine interest in reading for pleasure. We seek to advance the education of children in particular, by helping those experiencing difficulties in acquiring literacy skills. We do this in primary schools and early years’ settings and we use a number of evidence based programmes and projects.
In our primary schools’ volunteers programme, we recruit, train, vet and support volunteers to support the development of reading confidence of children.
We also deliver our Learning to Love Books programme - our unique storytelling, songs and rhymes sessions - in libraries, schools and early years’ settings such as nurseries and children’s centres. This programme has grown considerably during the year with continued support from the Small Steps Big Changes, A Better Start Initiative.
The Board of Trustees fully recognised the financial and operational challenges for the charity following the serious negative impact of the pandemic last year. A new plan was formed to ensure a sustainable future and throughout the year new working practices together with a greater promotion and awareness of the charity was carried out. Strengthening existing and learning new skills and ways of working have demonstrated a significant improvement in the performance of the charity since last year.
Literacy Volunteers have continued to plan and deliver sessions, both in primary schools and the community, to help tackle the social disadvantage and lack of opportunities often caused by poor literacy skills.
The Schools Team
In primary schools throughout Nottinghamshire we have engaged with children who may be at risk of disengaging with education, have found it difficult to stay fully involved in the classroom environment, may have English as a second language,
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may be lacking in confidence and communication skills, and be experiencing low levels of home support. Our aim is to deliver support in a creative and fun way to help all the children we work with to enjoy reading and learning from books whilst improving their confidence and self-esteem.
During 2021/2022 the focus for everyone at Literacy Volunteers has been to review, refresh and rebuild the team of volunteers who continue to offer amazing support to children in primary schools. We have recruited over 30 new volunteers and welcome the opportunity to continue our recruitment campaigns attracting a diverse range of volunteers from many communities. We have made significant progress in the Schools Team and our school subscription income for this year has massively increased.
Many volunteers have returned to deliver effective face-to-face sessions in primary schools each week. We have strived to enrich the volunteer experience and will continue to do so with additional networking events and available resources. We have continued to forge new relationships with primary schools and ascertain/adapt to what they need for children right now.
The Early Years Team
Working with children age 0-4 the Early Years Team have moved from strength to strength engaging with over 50 families in St. Anns and Hyson Green each week with storytelling and crafts as part of the Learning to Love Books Scheme (funded by Small Step Big Changes). 50% of young children from disadvantaged areas start school without the level of language skills they need to progress (National Literacy Trust). This project has helped to build the confidence of parents/carers so they can more fully support their child’s development at home. During the sessions they have learned more effective ways to communicate with others, developed new language and literacy skills and enjoyed lots of fun time too! Feedback has been terrific with comments such as “I really love the storytelling. It’s a very happy environment and my daughter really loves it and has become more confident from being at the session”. “Great opportunity to meet other parents.” “It’s lovely to see how the children interact with each other and also the team leaders”. Grants from additional funders (Boots Charitable Trust and Capital One) enabled us to extend this project further, and we were able to support a broader range of families in the year.
The Story Boxes (developed during the pandemic when no face to face sessions were possible due to lockdown restrictions) have continued to be a great success with 84% of parents/carers scoring them excellent in the evaluation. Books together with craft activities and ideas to help parents encourage children to talk more about the story are posted to the home and eagerly awaited by many “the boxes gave us something constructive and learning based to do with my daughter and we love sharing that time and activities together”.
Summary
The Board of Trustees and all the staff at Literacy Volunteers have confidence that the experience and knowledge gained over the last year has provided a
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stable platform for the Charity going forward. However, the need to raise additional funds, continue to create new partnerships and promote the work and profile of the Charity more widely remain high.
Here at Literacy Volunteers we are very grateful for generous support from many organisations and individuals. These include:
Nottinghamshire County Council Nottingham City Council National Literacy Trust/Read on Nottingham Nottingham City Libraries The Nottinghamshire Community Foundation Nottingham Council for Voluntary Services Nottinghamshire Hospice Small Steps Big Changes The Boots Charitable Trust Capital One The Forman Hardy Charitable Trust The Sir John Eastwood Foundation The Littlefair Trust The J N Derbyshire Charitable Trust The Charles Littlewood Hill Trust The Winifred Eileen Kemp Trust St Ann’s Community Orchard Framework Foresters Southwell Lions The Vine Centre Nottinghamshire Hospice Councillor Roger Jackson Councillor Bethan Eddy Mr Brian Clarke O’Neill The Jessie Spencer Trust
Public benefit statement
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
Summary of the main achievements during the period
Planned and started to deliver a more creative promotional strategy to attract and recruit more volunteers to deliver sessions in schools.
The Schools Team supported Literacy Volunteers to return to face to face sessions with children in primary schools (70 volunteers by March 2022).
The Early Years Team resumed face to face Learning to Love Books storytelling and craft sessions for 50 families living in the communities of Hyson Green and St Anns. The project has delivered over 1000 book boxes to 150 children and their families.
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Secured additional funding from Nottinghamshire County Council to deliver face to face workshops for new and existing Literacy Volunteers to strengthen the volunteer experience.
Identified new educational projects and partnerships including Nottingham Trent University.
Financial review
We began this year with a fair amount of uncertainty. The previous year had been especially challenging because of the impact of the pandemic. With schools closed, or unwilling to open their doors to visitors, we were unable to place volunteers and had to suspend subscriptions. This year has been all about rebuilding our volunteer network and increasing subscriptions numbers. It is very pleasing to report that we have made huge progress in this area. School Subscriptions for the period topped £27,000 - a significant improvement of the previous year. Moreover, this has greatly restored confidence going forward.
Grants and Donations post pandemic have also become very uncertain. Funds have become harder to access and more charities seem to be competing for them. We did very well to secure in excess of £90,000 through Grants and Donations in the year. This was higher than in either of the two prior years. It is worth noting that very strong contributions to our early years’ project, Learning to Love Books, has ensured that we are able to continue to deliver this project beyond the year in question.
We ended the year with a significant reduction in our staff numbers. This unforeseen change of circumstances resulted in us restructuring the staff team. This reduced our costs significantly and we are looking to consolidate those savings going forward.
The charity’s policy on reserves
The Board recognises its responsibility in maintaining its reserves to include the required redundancy payments due to staff in the event of the closure of the Charity; to cover any subscriptions we would need to return to schools if we were unable to supply them with a volunteer and to cover the costs incurred in any closure periodlikely to amount to a quarter’s running costs. This is good practice for any charity. This year, the trustees have designated the sum of £20,000 as a reserve to cover our liabilities regarding staff redundancy payments should closure become necessary. They also feel it is prudent to hold the sum of one term’s salary expenditure and a small amount of running costs to finance general expenditure during a closure period, this figure has been agreed as £14,500. The target for total reserves have therefore been adjusted to £34,500.
The trustees will always strike a balance between trying to retain some level of reserves in case we can't meet our fundraising target and the need to reinvest in services that will have an effect on the issue we seek to support i.e. the promotion of reading for pleasure and the benefit this has in raising literacy levels in children. Whilst the trustees feel that some limited reserves are needed, because fundraising is a challenge and reserves are needed to cover potential shortfalls in fundraising targets, they regret that they can't plan to do this in this financial year.
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Literacy Volunteer5 All children in our area of benefft should leave primary school reading well for their age. Finally, it is importarrt to note that the trustees review their resep4es annually (following a review of the charitys position and the exiemal environment) In order to account for thanges in either area. Flnanclal rlsks We have deaded that the fclbwing ri5k5 ar8 wcth noting: 1. The County Council Loc41 Improvement Scheme grant cAxtstitutes a significant proFhJrtion of our inwme. the loss of these funds lOUId m8an that our cash flow projection would be sever81y affected and the nec8ssty for aclions to mitigate against this loss should be considered. We have secured redUd funding from Notts CC for the next four years. 2. Small Steps Big Changes have indicated that they will support the project in the next two years but as yet the level of funding hasn't been detennined and this requir8s monit1ng in tenns of salary commitinents and our reserves position. The 2022-2013 dget, as yrt doesn't indude costs OT income for this project from S8Ptember 2022. 3. We have previousty conduded that w8 cannot pass on the full costs of recruitlng and training volunteers lo the schools we support. The evKJence we have shows that although schools will tderats some small increases in the subscriptions they pay, schod budgets will not cover the charge we would have to make to fully recover our costs, even though the service is highty Tated. As such we have. for the last twenty years fundraised to keep these costs as ICM as we possibly can. ft is becoming inueasingty difficult to ratse this shortfall via our tradttic*pl TCXJtes of seeking donations from other trusts and charities. 4. Nottingham Cty Council provide us with grace and favour offices and facilities at Wo)dthorpe Grange. If they were in future unable to continue with this arrangement, we would have to find altemative premises and source our facilitses. This could add significantly to our (a)st base. 5. ff a resurgence of COVNI, or other agenL were to fm the shirtdcmn or dosure of primary schools we would be serlousty compromlsed. Wlthout slgnlficant Govemment intsrvention we would be unable to cover our central costs rf we were to lose our subscripticffi income. Signed J, bi Gunn, Tr 10 22
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Literacy Volunteers for the year ended 31 March 2022
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Literacy Volunteers (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2022.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed ____ Date _______ 05/10/2022 John O’Brien MSc, FCCA, FCIE Employee of Community Accounting Plus
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Literacy Volunteers Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 March 2022
| 2021 Total Unrestricted Funds Funds £ Note £ Receipts 80872 Grants & donations 2 26791 5102 Subscriptions 27625 1250 Fees - 87224 Total receipts 54416 Payments 24126 Activities & materials 1761 53 DBS fees - 437 Equipment, repairs & renewals - 678 Independent examination fee 678 1174 Insurance 1641 979 Payroll service 997 - Prizes 37 1462 Professional fees & artists 667 268 Publications & subscriptions 787 79045 Salaries, NI & pension 53534 - Staff training 549 62 Stationery & office supplies 102 - Sundry payments 50 653 Telephone, internet & postage 68 477 Training & support 420 506 Travel & subsistence 1188 239 Volunteer resources 31 110159 Total payments 62510 (22935) Net receipts/(payments) (8094) 100975 Cash funds at start of this period 78040 - Transfers between funds (4) 78040 Cash funds at end of this period 69942 |
2022 Restricted Total Funds Funds £ £ 63343 90134 - 27625 - - 63343 117759 16973 18734 - - - - - 678 - 1641 - 997 - 37 160 827 - 787 22974 76508 - 549 - 102 - 50 875 943 - 420 - 1188 536 567 41518 104028 21825 13731 - 78040 4 - 21829 91771 |
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Literacy Voluntee ststement of assets and liabi15ties at 31 March 2022 Cash ass•ts Bar& accoLrts Cash in T71 63 78040 91708 63 91771 Oth•r rnon•tsry ass•ts Ppart. knrre 133 133 Ass•ts r•tain•d forth• ¢h•rity* own us• Gereral eqiipmert Liabilili•s Credibrs 2045 (2045) 696 696 These financial statements are aeP1 on bghaff of the charty by: Spned Alan Merrett. Trustee Dated 10 10
Literacy Volunteers Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022
1. Receipts & payments accounts
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
2. Grants & donations
| Boots Charitable Trust Capital One Charles Littlewood Hill Trust Councillor Bethan Eddy (Councillor's Disretionary Fund) Councillor Roger Jackson (Councillor's Disretionary Fund) Foresters HMRC JRS Ian Littlefair J. N. Derbyshire Trust Mr Brian Clarke O'Neill Nottinghamshire County Council (Covid Partnership Social Recovery Fund) Nottinghamshire County Council (County Council Covid fund 21-22) Nottinghamshire County Council LIS Sir John Eastwood Foundation Small Steps Big Changes Southwell Lions Sundry grants & donations The Forman Hardy Charitable Trust The Jessie Spencer Trust Winifred Eileen Kemp Trust |
Unrestricted £ - - 2000 - 300 100 271 400 - 600 - - 13125 1000 - 400 1095 500 5000 2000 26791 |
Restricted Total £ £ 9750 9750 2500 2500 - 2000 660 660 - 300 - 100 - 271 - 400 1500 1500 - 600 5000 5000 3000 3000 - 13125 - 1000 40933 40933 - 400 - 1095 - 500 - 5000 - 2000 63343 90134 |
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3. Funds analysis
| Funds analysis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted funds Learning to Love Books (SSBC5) Learning to Love Books (SSBC6) Learning to Love Books (Boots) Learning to Love Books (Capital One) Homework Club County Covid Fund Let's Meet and Learn Together Warsop Book Boxes Unrestricted funds General fund |
Opening balance £ - - - - - - - - - 78040 78040 |
Receipts (Payments) Transfers £ £ £ 15750 (15750) - 25183 (14803) - 9750 (5346) - 2500 (1115) - 1500 (1500) - 3000 (3004) 4 5000 - - 660 - - 63343 (41518) 4 54416 (62510) (4) 54416 (62510) (4) |
Closing balance £ - 10380 4404 1385 - - 5000 660 |
| 21829 | |||
| 69942 | |||
| 69942 |
The transfer from the General fund to the County Covid Fund is to cover the deficit on this activity.
The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows: Learning to Love Books (SSBC5, SSBC6, Boots Charitable Trust & Capital One) - to run our early years (0-4) storytelling sessions and Story Box project. Each Story Box contained a book, flash card for learning new words and a selection of fun resources for parents to support the home learning environment.
Homework Club (J. N. Derbyshire) - to run a number of online ‘Zoom’ sessions to support families with young children at home.
County Council Covid Fund 2021-2022 (Nottinghamshire County Council) - to purchase essential PPE for volunteers, and to facilitate recovery of our volunteer numbers to prepandemic levels by the recruitment and placing in schools of 24 new literacy volunteers. Let’s Meet and Learn Together (Nottinghamshire County Council Covid Partnership Social Recovery) - to plan and deliver a series of meetings to recruit new volunteers and for existing volunteers to meet together face-to-face and share learnings. To be delivered in the following period.
Warsop Book Boxes (Nottinghamshire County Council, Councillor’s Discretionary Fund, Councillor Bethan Eddy) - to deliver Story Boxes to years 2 and 6 in a local primary school. To be delivered in the following period.
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4. Creditors
£ Independent examination fee 696 696
5. Trustees’ remuneration
- Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
6. Related party transactions
There were no related party transactions in this period.
7. Premises
The premises are provided by the local authority.
8. Glossary of terms
Creditors: These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting period.
Prepayments: These are services that the charity has paid for in advance, but not used during the accounting period. Restricted funds: These are funds given to the charity, subject to specific restrictions set by the donor, but still within the general objects of the charity.
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